Northrop Grumman Tapped by NASA to Develop Solar Electric Propulsion Flight Concepts for Future Space Missions

Engineerblogger
Feb 2, 2012

Northrop Grumman Corporation was recently awarded a contract to study high-power solar electric propulsion flight system technology for NASA deep space and human exploration missions.

"In collaboration with our partners, we are working on alternatives to the typical solar array approach," said Jim Munger, solar electric propulsion program manager, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "Our concept will be scalable to 300 kilowatts and beyond and have the potential for reducing the cost and complexity of high-power requirements."

The company is partnered with Sandia National Laboratories and the University of Michigan's Department of Aerospace Engineering to create a technology road map for near-term NASA space missions.

NASA's goal is to develop a high-power solar electric propulsion system for a "space tugboat" that can ferry satellites from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO), saving fuel and secondary booster costs. The availability of a solar-powered vehicle would make it possible to launch spacecraft to LEO, then ferry them to GEO, allowing much heavier payloads to reach GEO while still using existing launch vehicles.

The study is designed to develop mission concepts that will be using technology at NASA Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 or greater, which means that a basic prototype has been validated in a relevant environment (simulating space) and includes initial integration at some level with other operational systems.

Sandia National Laboratories is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. With facilities in Albuquerque, N.M., and Livermore, Calif., Sandia has major research and development responsibilities in national security, energy and environmental technologies, and economic competitiveness.

The Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich., has been recognized as one of the leading departments of its kind in the country. Professor Alec D. Gallimore will lead the department's effort for Northrop Grumman.

NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, will manage the project. In addition to other numerous technology development activities, the Center designs game-changing technology for spaceflight that enables further exploration of the universe. Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide.

Source:  Northrop Grumman Corporation

K-MAX unmanned helicopter makes first cargo delivery

Engineerblogger
Jan 3, 2012

K-MAX is the Marine's first unmanned helicopter.  Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin

A new era in unmanned aviation began earlier this month when Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1 operated a K-MAX unmanned helicopter during its historic 90-minute flight, Dec. 17. K-MAX is the Marine's first unmanned helicopter designed for resupplying troops in remote locations. During its maiden flight, K-MAX successfully delivered about 3,500 pounds of food and supplies to troops at a forward operating base in Afghanistan without risk to a pilot.

Source: NAVAIR


Related Information:

• The Navy and Marine Corps Select Lockheed Martin/Kaman Unmanned K-MAX for Afghanistan Deployment
• Lockheed Martin/KAMAN K-MAX Completes U.S. Navy Unmanned Cargo Assessment 

Nanotechnology to harness the power of hydrogen

Engineerblogger
Dec 16, 2011

The Inorganic Solid State & Materials Research Group is using nanotechnology to try to find a way of turning the universe’s most abundant element, Hydrogen, into a viable source of energy.

When hydrogen is combusted in air, it binds with oxygen to create energy alongside a solitary byproduct: water. Being a relatively cheap and very green source of power, hydrogen is an attractive proposition for companies who are keen to support research into the next generation of fuels and, as a result, the Glasgow researchers have the backing of a consortium of major companies. Indeed, EADS Innovation Works, of which Airbus is a subsidiary, are testing the technology in aeroplanes, with plans in place to build and test a hydrogen fuel cell system in an unmanned aircraft in 2014.

‘The technology that we’re working on at Glasgow is at the forefront of research into sustainable fuels,’ says Glasgow Professor of Inorganic Materials Duncan Gregory, who is head of the research group which is working on hydrogen storage and sustainable energy materials. ‘We are the only group in Scotland working in this area and we have been awarded an Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council grant of over £3 million to work with the Universities of St Andrews, Strathclyde and Newcastle on a four-year project to develop a new hybrid system combining hydrogen storage, fuel cells and lithium batteries.

‘This is an exciting time to be working in this area, but it is very challenging work.’

Trying to store hydrogen is notoriously difficult; problems can occur in attempting to keep the substance in a manageable form useful in applications such as cars or aeroplanes. In order for hydrogen to be a feasible fuel source for a vehicle, it needs to be stored safely, occupy a relatively small volume and present a minimal burden in terms of weight. Finding a way of storing hydrogen that fulfils all these necessary requirements has so far proved so difficult that using hydrogen as a fuel might still seem a long way off.

The most feasible option is storing hydrogen as a solid; this involves binding the hydrogen atoms to another substance that would act like a sponge, soaking it up; the hydrogen could then be safely stored until it was needed. Until now the problem with this method was that existing materials either bonded to the hydrogen too strongly or not strongly enough.

To overcome this problem, the team at Glasgow are using nanotechnology to build a new substance to their own specifications, which is capable of trapping and releasing hydrogen only under the right conditions.

‘We’re approaching this by trying to develop some kind of nanomaterial that fits our purpose,’ says Professor Gregory. ‘The reason that we are doing this is that when it comes to solid-state storage there are two extremes; on the one hand you can have porous, spongelike solids that are easy to get hydrogen to bind to, but they also release it too easily; on the other hand, you can have materials that hold the hydrogen too well, meaning that you have to heat the material up to get it to release again and this requires energy.

‘So what we need is some kind of solution that’s in the middle of these two extremes and we think nanofabrication is the way to do this.’

Using the state-of-the-art synthesis techniques and facilities at the University’s Kelvin Nanocharacterisation Centre, the group can begin to build compounds to meet their needs and make the reactions that bind hydrogen to solids in a fuel cell much easier to control.

‘We have a patent on a nanostructured material, based on lithium nitride, and when you react this with hydrogen it goes through two stages whereupon hydrogen becomes bonded in the structure,’ says Professor Gregory.

‘There are several ways in which making a nanostructured version of this material improves its performance: for example, we can get reactions to happen faster because the nanomaterials have a high surface area. However, we also want to see if we can apply our techniques to create other materials that may have different and useful properties, and there are companies backing us who are interested in the work we are doing here at the University.’

Indeed, the work done by university research groups such as Glasgow’s are opening the gates to a new world of energy production. Although we are only at the research stage, the potential of this technology is huge, as harnessing the potential of hydrogen may be the beginning of the end of our reliance on fossil fuels and a step towards a cleaner and greener future.

Source: Glasgow University

Eurocopter develops the world’s first flight of a hybrid helicopter combining an internal combustion engine and an electric motor

Engineerblogger
Oct 12, 2011

Eurocopter has successfully tested a hybrid helicopter that combines a turboshaft internal combustion engine with an electric motor for a world premiere, marking a new milestone in its innovation roadmap that opens the way for further enhancements in rotary-wing aircraft safety.

For this initial breakthrough in exploring the hybrid concept, Eurocopter is using the supplemental electric system to increase maneuverability of a single-engine helicopter during an autorotation landing – which is performed by helicopters in the event of a main engine failure.

The demonstrator helicopter is a production version of Eurocopter’s highly successful light single-engine AS350, which has been equipped with a supplementary electric motor. In the event of an engine failure, the electric motor provides power to the rotor, allowing a pilot to control the helicopter very easily during the descent to a safe touchdown. The next step is to bring this concept to maturity and evaluate its implementation on Eurocopter’s series production helicopters.


“Eurocopter’s research and development efforts are used every day to push the frontiers by increasing helicopter safety and performance for the benefit of our customers, and we are proud to have brought the first helicopter equipped with an internal combustion engine and electric propulsion system to flight,” said Lutz Bertling, Eurocopter President and CEO. “Hybrid propulsion is an important element of Eurocopter’s innovation roadmap in developing the next generation of helicopters. It offers new opportunities for improvements in safety, along with the potential for reducing fuel consumption and emissions.”

The AS350 hybrid demonstrator has its highly compact electric motor and lithium ion polymer battery installed in the center area of the helicopter. Electronic controls enable precise deployment of power delivered by the electric motor during the period of autorotation.

Eurocopter’s AS350 is one of the most successful helicopters, with the more than 4,000 aircraft in service worldwide having logged more than a million flight hours as of 2010. It excels in hot conditions and very high altitudes, holding the record as the only helicopter to have landed on top of Mount Everest.

Source: EADS

Lockheed Martin Unveils Samarai Flyer at Unmanned Vehicle Conference

Engineerblogger
Aug 22, 2011

Inspired by a maple seed, Lockheed Martin's Samarai handheld vehicle flew publically for the first time today at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International conference.

Weighing less than half a pound, Samarai demonstrated vertical takeoff and landing, stable hover, and on-board video streaming. While the aircraft flew a series of flights in the roughly 40 foot test area, it streamed live video from a camera that rotated around its center providing a 360 degree view without a gimbal.



"Our team has taken the basic shape and design of the naturally aerodynamic maple seed and harnessed it with flight controls and avionics," said Kingsley Fregene, principal investigator for Samarai at Lockheed Martin's Advanced Technology Laboratories. "We've learned a great deal about biologically inspired vehicles that we can apply across the laboratory, including a better understanding of micro-robots and the devices that control their movement."

Samarai is mechanically simple with only two moving parts. Because its 16 inches long and weighs less than half a pound, an operator can easily carry the vehicle in a backpack and launch it from the ground or like a boomerang. The design is scalable to meet different missions, including surveillance and reconnaissance and payload delivery.

Lockheed Martin tested the first 3-D printed Samarai last week. The vehicle was produced by "printing" successive small layers of plastic to create a single form. The printer eliminates expensive production costs, allowing engineers to quickly and affordably produce Samarai tailored to specific missions.

Source: Lockheed Martin

EADS showcases VoltAir all-electric propulsion system concept

EADS
June 22, 2011

• No carbon dioxide emission during flight
• Next-generation energy storage
• Ultra high density electric engines
• Enhanced passenger comfort

Flying High with batteries – EADS Innovation Works, the corporate research and technology network of EADS, is showcasing an allelectric propulsion system concept at Le Bourget. The VoltAir technology concept platform supports the vision of a zero-emission air vehicle which could become a reality 20 years from today. VoltAir is one of the projects that are grouped under the name of eCO2avia by EADS Innovation Works as part of the EADS Group’s research towards achieving the aviation industry’s climate protection goals.

The VoltAir’s next-generation electric energy storage system (batteries) will power highly efficient superconducting electric motors which drive counter-rotating, shrouded propellers. Combined with a radical approach to airframe design, the expected promising developments in electric propulsion technologies could pave the way towards ultra-quiet and emission-free flight.

“VoltAir is an upstream research concept, not a near-term commercial approach”, said Jean Botti, Chief Technical Officer of EADS. “Our research is very forward-looking and could be beneficial in different applications. As a systems architect for aircraft, we are pushing the envelope in this research to stimulate new ideas. The objective here is to push the envelope to move towards more electric, emission free propulsion.” Boosted by the large demand for automotive applications and emerging hybrid and fully electric cars, high-density electric energy storage systems achieved impressive advances in their capabilities during the last decade. The capabilities of today’s batteries are still far away from what is theoretically possible. New materials with promising capabilities for a new generation of energy storage are currently being investigated. Some of them are based on lithium-air and lithium-sulphur combinations.

Scientists expect these batteries to exceed energy densities of 1000 Wh/kg within the next two decades, which would mean more than doubling today’s performance. The VoltAir concept is based on the assumption that the required level of energy density can be achieved within the timeframe mentioned.
To read more click here...

Additional Information:

• EADS Brochure Volt Air

New rocketplane 'could fly Paris-Tokyo in 2.5 hours'

Engineerblogger
June 20, 2011

European aerospace giant EADS on Sunday unveiled its "Zero Emission Hypersonic Transportation" (Zehst) rocket plane it hopes will be able to fly from Paris to Tokyo in 2.5 hours by around 2050.

"I imagine the plane of the future to look like Zehst," EADS' chief technical officer Jean Botti said as the project was announced at Le Bourget airport the day before the start of the Paris International Air Show.

The low-pollution plane to carry between 50 and 100 passengers will take off using normal engines powered by biofuel made from seaweed before switching on its rocket engines at altitude.

The rocket engines, powered by hydrogen and oxygen whose only exhaust is water vapour, propel the plane to a cruising altitude of 32 kilometres (20 miles), compared to today's passenger jets which fly at around 10,000 metres.

"You don't pollute, you're in the stratosphere," Botti said.

To land, the pilot cuts the engines and glides down to Earth before reigniting the regular engines before landing.

EADS hopes to have a prototype built by 2020 and for the plane to eventually enter service around 2050.

The project is being developed in collaboration with Japan and uses technology that is already available.

A four-metre model of the plane, which looks similar to the now defunct Concorde supersonic jet, will be on show at Bourget for the biannual aerospace showcase which begins on Monday and opens to the general public on Friday.

Copyright from AFP 2011 

Miniaturized Power Modules for Aircraft Bodies

Vienna University of Technology
June 14, 2011

Sensor networks are supposed to pervade the body of airplanes in the future – much like a nervous system. Thanks to a joint research project of EADS Deutschland GmbH (Germany) and the Vienna University of Technology, the single sensor elements do not require any external power supply.

Aircraft maintenance can be time consuming and expensive. It is much simpler if the airplane itself reports, where maintenance is required. The best solution is an approach for the sensor network, which even provides its own power supply and is therefore independent of electrical wiring – and this is what has now been developed by EADS EADS Deutschland GmbH (Germany), in cooperation with the Institute of Sensor and Actuator Systems at Vienna University of Technology (TU Vienna). For each individual sensor, electricity is produced by a thermoelectric generator with a small water tank, storing thermal energy. The electricity is simply generated from the temperature difference between the icy cold air in high altitudes and the water –based heat storing unit (and vice versa). This novel approach for providing locally the energy for the operation of the sensor network could not only facilitate aircraft maintenance, but also increase comfort for travelers.

To read more click here...

Airbus sponsored electric concept aircraft “eGenius” takes up to the sky for the first time

EADS
May 26, 2011

Airbus supports basic research activities for a greener and emission free aviation industry.

Six weeks after its first public presentation at the international Aero-Expo in Friedrichshafen, Germany, the Airbus sponsored technology demonstrator “eGenius” performed its maiden flight yesterday in the late afternoon from the airfield in Mindelheim, Bavaria, Germany. During the 20 minutes flight the main focus was on checking the handling qualities and proving the unique propulsion system in flight.

The “eGenius” features an electric propulsion system which pushes the limits of electric flight to a power level of 60kW. In the following flight test campaign the flight envelope will be enlarged continuously by verifying the flight performance and reliability of the electric propulsion.

Designed by the Institute of Aircraft Design at the University of Stuttgart, Germany, the “eGenius” project is supported by Airbus as main sponsor in the frame of the manufacturer’s overall engagement to reduce emissions and develop a greener aviation industry. Airbus examines the long-term potential of electricity as alternative major onboard energy source. The data collected from the practical operation with the “eGenius” aircraft will be analysed by Airbus’ Future Projects teams to further develop the technology and better understand its opportunities.

Airbus is supporting various research and technology projects in close cooperation with universities and research institutes. Besides the monitoring of the electric propulsion technology, Airbus is also developing fuel cell technology as alternative energy source, enabling an emission-free aircraft operation on ground. In addition, Airbus is strongly engaging in implementing and testing bio-fuel technology and actively supports the installation of local bio-fuel value-chains around the world.

Notes for editors: Facts & Figures for “eGenius”aircraft:

• Wing span 16,86m
• MTOW 850 kg
• Wide fuselage for two pilots sitting side by side
• Range 400 km
• Cruise speed up to 235 km/h
• Engine power 60kW
• Equivalent energy consumption per 100km and passenger: 0.6 l fuel

GE and EADS to Print Parts for Airplanes

Technology Review
May 7, 2011

GE is starting a new lab at its global research headquarters in Niskayuna, New York, that's devoted to turning three-dimensional printing technology into a viable means of manufacturing functional parts for a range of its businesses, including those involving health care and aerospace. The company aims to take advantage of the technology's potential to make parts that are lighter, perform better, and cost less than parts made with conventional manufacturing techniques.

Technology for printing three-dimensional objects has existed for decades, but its applications have been largely limited to novelty items and specialized custom fabrication, such as the making of personalized prosthetics. But the technology has now improved to the point that these printers can make intricate objects out of durable materials , including ceramics and metals such as titanium and aluminum, with resolution on the scale of tens of micrometers.

To read more click here...

Related Information:

• Print Me A Stradivarius
• Buildings Made with a Printer
• 'Printing' Human Organs with 3D Bio-Printer

EADS unit to buy Canada's Vector Aerospace

Reuters
March 29, 2011

EADS  has ended a three-year acquisition drought in North America with a C$625 million ($640 million) cash bid for Canadian overhaul and repair firm Vector Aerospace.

Europe's largest aerospace company has had its eye on transatlantic expansion for some time to wean itself off the euro, whose strength has been hurting its airplane subsidiary Airbus, and to expand further into defense and aerospace services.

To read more click here...

EADS to join aerospace research effort in Moscow

The Engineer
March 3, 2011

EADS has signed an agreement that will see the company participate in the Skolkovo Innovation Centre, a high-technology business hub to be built in the Moscow area.

To read more click here...